showcase london issue 22

Sep 2004

Welcome to a new edition of SHOWCASE LONDON - brought to you by Production Paradise. Here, we feature the latest projects and news from the best of London's Visual Media industry - including photo, video, commercial and film production as well as talent agencies, rental studios, locations, equipment suppliers and other services.

Please visit our website www.productionparadise.comfor details of all the best companies and professionals in London, Barcelona, New York, Amsterdam and Madrid. You'll also find our guides to what to do and where to go in each of those cities.

Our Photo of the Month was shot by Spencer Rowell for Lynx with AD Johnny Leathers - BBH London.

Tomo London provides services for Photo Productions in London and the UK - starting with castings and location-scouting right through the entire job. Their impressive client list includes a list of the most important brands, advertising agencies, magazines and photographers.

Caspar & Co are based in London and work with a variety of international clients offering stills production and co-ordination, specialising in automotive photography.

In the past year, we have worked in places as diverse as New Zealand, Hawaii, Tokyo, the island of Hokkaido in Japan, California, various parts of Spain, France & Portugal, as well as covering Britain from Scotland down to the south coast via Birmingham.

Most recently we have worked with Tim Simmons for Modernista on the new Hummer H3 and SUT press & poster ads in California, Saab 92 & 97 with Mervyn Franklyn in Los Angeles for Valentin Bhyr Partners, Toyota for Saatchi & Saatchi with Tim Damon in Valencia and Acura in Lisbon and the Mercedes SLK with Emir Haveric for Springer & Jacobi.

Commercials Unlimited, with a reputation for producing award-winning commercials and for amazing no-nonsense keen budgets, have chosen the Cote d’Azur as the current favourite location for shooting commercials.

Take one of umpteen low-cost Easyjet flights to Nice, have lunch at La Colome d’Or, attend a pre-arranged casting in the afternoon, then take advantage of good weather, beautiful locations and a hassle-free shoot. Then head home with your processed rushes in time to see the kids. That was more or less the format when we shot the 30-second ad ‘Tee Off’ for British Telecom. The budget - which included all travel, shooting and subsistence costs, post-production, music and artists buyouts, everything - was under £60,000.

This is just one example of the way Commercials Unlimited work. With commercials shot for Wrigleys in Antigua, for Peugeot in South Africa, for British Telecom in New York and for Toyota also in the South of France, there are plenty more examples of our budget-conscious lateral, thinking, all of which can be found on the website.

Agent Orange prides itself on providing a consistent and professional level of production to both its clients and photographers. Agent Orange represents: Ben Stockley, Frank Herholdt, Garry Owens, Giblin & James, Hermione, Jim Naughten, Will Sanders - they hope to recruit two further photographers during Winter 2004/2005.

Featured here is work from three artists, Leon Steele who recently shot the 'Boots No7' campaign for Mother. Adam Hinton's work for 'Nikon' commissioned by DDB London and shot on location in the favelas of Brazil. Finally, Peer Lindgreen's work for 'Sheba' pet food commissioned by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.

My Big One is the new book from award winning photographer David Stewart. A showcase for Stewart's work, My Big One is also a uniquely designed art object. The book contains 41 large-format colour images from both Stewart's personal and commercial portfolios from the last nine years. Among the high profile campaigns featured are Heals, Marmite, American Express, Quality Street, Pizza Express and Malvern Water. Stewart's personal work includes the series Fogeys, his ongoing project Relations and images that accompanied his Bafta-nominated short film Cabbage. All Stewart's images are constructed with great attention to detail and highlight his slightly surreal take on life.

Created using the highest design and production values the book is available in a signed, limited edition of 60. A wooden slip case, lined in magenta felt, has been hand-made to resemble the slats of the cockerel's coop. Additional design features include a contents index in the form of a 64 centimetre ruler and coloured ribbon bookmarks that hint at a prize-winning rosette. The book's punning title and design not only reflect the underlying humour in Stewart's work but its size also allows the viewer to see his striking images to their full effect.

Jonathan Knowles is known for his clean and pure images primarily in theareas of still life and liquid, though his work often includes people too.

This year he has worked on advertising campaigns for Vodafone, Xerox,Orange, Post Office, Trojan, Honda, Carling and Fairy amongst many others, and also shot the image for the recently released Groove Armada:the Best of album.

Book titles over the last 7 years, published by Jacqui Small/Aurum, RPS, Cico, Conran & Quadrille include: Home Modernized, Scandinavian Modern, Attention to Detail, Kitchens, The Chair,Textile Style, Modern Natural, Living with Arts and Crafts, Classic Design Styles, Country and Modern, White on White, Compemporary Gardens, One Space Living, Smart Storage & Asian Elements.

Andy is a hugely successful music & portrait photographer, responsible for shooting an enormous amount of well-known artists & bands for album campaigns & editorial including his infamous portrait of the late Johnny Cash in 1994.

Andy continues to work in music alongside his advertising photography - credits here include Deutsche Bank & the Heinz brand, as well as editorial portraits for various publications & stills for various BBC programmes.

Best known for his strong portraiture, Seamus Ryan's advertising clients have included Toblerone, British Airways, Nike, Ford and Virgin Airlines. Seamus has recently been selected for the third year running for the Schweppes Portrait Award, previously the John Kobel Awards. He is one of 60 photographers - out of 8500 entries - whose work will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery. The selected photo was taken on a spontaneous shoot on the day Seamus's son got the uniform for his secondary school. For Seamus, the photo represents an important transition point in the life of his son.

Seamus recently also had the privilege of photographing one of his heroes, Michael Palin. The Monty Python comic genius, is now well-known for his travel series and Seamus did the advertising shot for Michael's latest series set in the Himalayas, recreating the mountain range from flight cases. Reports that Mrs Palin loved the shot suggest the shoot was a success.

Calvert Studios have one of the largest coves in the UK, some 120 feetby 70 feet, with 30 feet high ceilings. Along with 3 other slightly smaller coves, mostly painted light grey.

At their site in Spain, they are also building an additional 16-bedroom hotel. This studio-cum-hotel will be specialized in film sets, fashion and car work. The complex includes a bar, pool, tennis court, gym, digital suite for retouching and a coved studio. Calvert Studios in Spain, offer one of the most comprehensive daylight facilities in Europe. The site is 660,000 square metres, with platforms at 1000 feet and 200 feet above sea level, offering unrestricted sunsets and sun rises and facilities for set building.

Calvert's also hires and sells tracking booms from the studios in Spain and England.

Lupe Gallery, situated in the heart of Columbia Road Flower Market in London's East End, is a new and innovative gallery devoted to the art of photography.

Each Sunday many hundreds of people visit the 2000sq/ft (200 sq metres) space to see an eclectic and regularly updated exhibition of still life, landscape, abstract and portrait photography. Lupe represents over forty well known photographers and is well on its way to building one of the UK's most comprehensive print collections. Customers include interior designers, hotels, architects and the general public looking for photos to display on their walls.

Jessica Roper was the winner of the Topshop Face of the Future competition 2003. Since then, she has worked with Matthias Vriens, Ben Hassett, Stefano Galuzzi and Denis Schoenberg for magazines including Italian Vogue, Jalouse, iD and Mixte. She has just returned from her first show season in Paris and Milan which was a huge success!

Discovered by a Models 1 scout on a trip to Russia, 17 year-old Ruslana is well on her way to the top of the modelling tree! She has editorials coming out in just about every key fashion magazine including, British Vogue with Richard Bush and W Magazine with Mario Sorrenti.

Take Two Management:
London fashion models

High-level management, a reputation for honesty and integrity and some of the most exciting models in the industry are all characteristics linked to London's leading boutique agency, Take 2. Opened in 1982 by partners Melissa Richardson and Gabriella Palmano. With a friendly yet determined team of bookers headed by the agency's experienced and recently appointed partner Francisco Anton-Seranno, Take 2 delivers superb management results for its diverse string of first class models.

Recent editorial jobs have included Vogue, ID, ANOTHER Magazine, Dazed & Confused, W Magazine, Numero, and 10 Magazine. The agency's models have also appeared on every noteworthy runway around the world.

A lavish "Urban Spa" in the heart of London's West End, Sanderson offers a retreat from the bustle of the city into a world of fantasy and well being. The land marked 50's building has been transformed by Philippe Starck into a surreal Cocteau-like dream world with a lushly landscaped interior courtyard garden, world-class gourmet restaurant by Alain Ducasse, and the extensive facilities of the renowned Agua Bathhouse.

Sanderson epitomises a "new luxury" that is smart, pared down, and tempered with a healthy dose of wit and irony - in short, a hotel with modern sex appeal.

From its dazzling location at the hub of Covent Garden, West End theatres and Trafalgar Square, St Martins Lane is a dramatic and daring reinvention of the urban resort. Smart, witty and sophisticated, Philippe Starck's design is a brilliant collision of influences - from the modern to the baroque - that suffuses the hotel with energy, vitality and magic.

Unique features include the acclaimed Asia de Cuba restaurant, wildly popular Light Bar, and interactive light displays in every guest room that encourage guests to personalise their own individual space, and help to turn the hotel into a beautiful and ever-changing mosaic of colour.

1st London Flats, Ltd: London apartments

1st London Flats, Ltd:
London apartments

Chelsea apartments: These apartments offer a discriminating and coveted London lifestyle in the heart of one of the world's finest cities. Constructed originally as artists' studios, the building has been refurbished to meet the needs of today's discerning traveller, while retaining many of its charming and unique features. You will find the apartments adjacent to the Fulham Road and close to the Kings Road, one of London's most stylish shopping streets, offering a vibrant and kaleidoscopic selection of shops, restaurants, bistros, cinemas and health clubs.

Playhouse Court apartment: Originally a coffee and tea warehouse built around 1850, Playhouse Court is a one-bedroom open plan apartment with wood flooring and brick walls. This very spacious warehouse conversion apartment with Conran furniture is well worth renting for your holiday vacations. Nearby: Tate Modern Art Gallery, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, The Millennium Bridge, The Tower of London, HMS Belfast, Southwark Cathedral, The London Eye, The Young Vic, The Old Vic, The London Aquarium, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Oxo Tower and The South Bank Center.

Rules was established by Thomas Rule in 1798 making it the oldest restaurant in London. It serves traditional British food, specialising in classic game cookery, oysters, pies and puddings. As well as the main restaurant, which can seat 133 people, Rules has four Private Dining Rooms.

Rules is renowned for its game dishes and as such, the Game Season dates play an important part in shaping our menus. We also have our own estate in the High Pennines so are able to control the quality of the game we serve at source. Rules is in the heart of London’s Theatreland, and is an air-conditioned, non-smoking restaurant. Smoking is permitted in the Private Dining Rooms.

Illustrator David Bray and photographer Tim Bret-Day have collaborated to produce a new press campaign for top London store, Harvey Nichols, from an original brief to create a 'fashion playground'. Four images evolved with a Heaven On Earth theme.

David, who has previously created artwork for Nokia & MTV's Dirty Sanchez, uses illustration to convey the more odd sides of people's everyday behavour. Tim, whose previous work includes the fashion photography for Agent Provocateur, has a reputation for approaching his work in an unconventional and sensual way.

They realised they could work together and develop new ideas which stretched their imagination. The images produced for Harvey Nichols are stunning. This is the beginning of something great, and David and Tim continue to collaborate and are now working on a new series of images. David and Tim are promoted by Private View.

Creative art agency, Private View are in the process of making an innovative series of short films about the artists they promote. Using Private View¹s own production facilities, the aim of the films is to follow the artists throughout various projects and gain an insight into the creative process, what motivates them, what influences them, what makes them think, and how they think.

Jonny Butcher from Private View says "I have wanted to make this series of films for a long time. I want to show inside the thoughts and lives of some of the most creative and imaginative people you could meet, who express themselves best with their artwork. If we have more of an understanding of their creative process and are more sensitive to the time they need and how they work and think, we may be able to help them develop their most original ideas".

Private View would consider commissions from TV channels looking for a series on the creative process­ please contact Anthea on +44 (0)1743 350355

Lorelei, the creative partnership of Lois Davies and Cassie Robinson uniquely brings together their combined experience from the realms of design in high fashion and stylish costume to produce uniforms, costumes, swimwear, lingerie & design consultancy for brands, events, shows & fashion houses. They offer their clients a total service from design through to production including styling at the actual event/shoot/show etc.

Hollywood design: London creative associations

Hollywood design:
London creative associations

Hollywood Design was set up in 1990 as a creative consultancy and workshop. They design and manufacture high-quality, specialised architectural metal work including the production of minimalist modern furniture and sculpture. Typically, they design and manufacture modern reception desks, staircases and quality modern furniture using aluminium, glass and stainless steel as well as organic materials such as stone, wood and rubber.

Working directly with clients and architects, Hollywood Design produce one-off pieces through to complete re-fits, and offer a comprehensive interior design service for agencies, studios, bars, shops and domestic interiors.

They are currently developing a new generic staircase with a pure glass hand-rail system for domestic conversions to London town-houses. Clients include Models One London, Next Model Management, M2 Post Production, Freedom Telecom and Eimassa.

The Bite: London magazines

The Bite:
London magazines

TransGlobe Multimedia Enterprises (TGMME) is a specialist international publishing operation based in London and Dubai with networks in the Middle East and North Africa. We provide the creative industry with publications that promote existing talent and nurture new creativity within the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. By challenging standards across all fields with the unexpected, we hope to generate new ideas and communication tools within this region's fast-growing industry.

Our launch publication will be theBiteTM, a quarterly large-format magazine, followed by a series of regional handbooks of in-depth industry information and contacts, and the Middle East's first annual creative showcase book. The publications aim to stimulate and provoke conceptual thinking and comment, helping to bring the region's standards up to best international practices.